“Every semester was packed,” she explains. “But I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I’m glad I did it because it helped me push to do more than just what’s required, and I think that helped me in life.”

And push she did. Since graduating, Stephen landed the role of Alison Abdullah in season four of Orange Is the New Black, the Netflix original series that has won four Emmy Awards and been nominated for 17.

Click here to read more about Amanda and her Q&A with Pegasus, the magazine of the University of Central Florida.